Shattered
by ohfortuneslost
Summary: Eric discovers that the reason why Sookie can't read vampires or other Supes is because of a mental wall of her own creation. He orders fellow telepath Barry to go into her mind and take down that barrier. How will this affect her? Dark Eric. AU
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Don't own SVM. Oh poo. **

She was scared. He could smell the fear coming off her in waves as clearly as he could smell the tears rolling down her cheeks.

He tried to ignore the pain it caused in his un-dead heart.

"Do it now." He growled at the man trembling in front of him. He pulled his little blonde telepath onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her, trapping and holding her in place.

The trembling man shook his head frantically, and tried to back away ineffectually. The iron hands wrapped around his throat tightened infinitesimally.

He reached out and placed both hands on her head. "I'm so sorry." He whispered before plunging into her mind.

As he moved though her mind, he was once again struck by how _bright _her mind really was. There were some negative thoughts, but they were boxed to one side, with all the other dirty secrets. He ignored everything else, and focused on one thing, on finding the barrier.

As he went further and further into her mind, it got darker, but only minimally, he could still see. But then he was stopped by a giant wall. The barrier.

"I am so sorry Sookie, so sorry." Barry the Telepath whispered once again, before gathering up his strength, and shattering the barrier.

He shattered her; and she screamed then was quiet.

Deadly quiet.

**A/N: Yup. Going there. This is Kitchycoo's auction story! It WILL be multi chapter, and in deference to her, and her awesomeness, the amount of chapters will ACTUALLY go into DOUBLE DIGITS, weird I know! And a first for me, yay to new beginnings! Also I have a another auction story coming up for Lilabitbtf, untitled, but later on I'll tell you a little bit about it, and look for a new chappie of Nothing Personal soon! As always, thanks for reading.**


	2. Of Eggs and Facilities

**Shattered Chapter One**

Eric went through his closet, looking for his nicest suit. Of course, being King, he was afforded all of the best designer clothes, but this time, this night, he needed to look perfect. He had servants, who could do this for him, but he wanted to find the right things himself, and he couldn't trust servants to get it right.

So immersed was he in his task that only the shriek of a woman across his manor distracted him enough to pull away from his closet. He sighed, rolling his eyes, before bracing himself for the storm.

He was not disappointed as the door to his bedroom banged open and a blonde vampiress stomped into the room, screaming at the top of her lungs. He hissed loudly at the noise, and she slammed the door shut and glared at him. "What's this I hear that you're not going to _our _anniversary party?" She asked, sauntering over to him, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper.

He rolled his eyes once more. "I told you this last month; I have other things to do these evening, things that do not involve a party," he said casually, not at all concerned by her ire.

"What?" She shrieked loudly, and he hissed again, causing her to immediately shut her mouth. "Eric Northman, you will get dressed now, in your best tuxedo, you will come downstairs with me, carry me on your arm, and we will look like the happiest fucking couple on the planet, do you understand?" She spoke quickly and stubbornly, and began poking his chest, punctuating every word with a sharp jab.

His fangs immediately lowered, and he grabbed her finger and snapped it, causing her to shriek in pain. He thrust her harshly against the wall, and stared her dead in the face. "Listen here Sonya; I am King. You married me and became Queen, and that is all you are. If I kill you right now, I will still be King. I am master here, not you, you willful little bitch."

He released her, and she slumped to the floor, still clutching her finger which had already healed. "Leave," he sniffed at her, and she ran from the room crying hysterically.

He was unconcerned with his Queen's departure, she meant nothing to him. He turned back to his closet and once again absorbed himself with more important matters.

* * *

Later that night, he drove himself to a small facility located exactly halfway between Shreveport and Bon Temps. He had had to jump from the third story window of his manor to remain undetected from the party goers. He knew not what excuse his wife had given them for his absence, and he did not care.

She knew that he would not attend their party, and had told her so months ago. It was the day of their one year wedding anniversary, but he didn't care about that at all. He had told her that she would be lucky for him to even show up to the wedding ceremony on that evening, but for whatever reason, she and her advisors had insisted on that day for the wedding. No matter how much noise he made over it, they refused to budge, so they were married shortly after they had all Risen, and he left shortly after the ceremony. They did not consummate their marriage until the evening afterwards.

He pulled up to the facility, and though it looked rundown, and almost abandoned, it secretly housed the best equipment and physiologists that money could buy.

Only the best for his lover, and at that, he looked onto the back seat of his corvette at the elaborately wrapped gift that held his lover's birthday present.

Before he had even started walking up the decrepit drive, the door was thrown open and the ever nervous Doctor Tanaki was hurrying down the steps, wringing his hands. He was a balding Asian man who was deathly afraid of vampires, but his wife had cancer, and by taking care of this small insane woman, the vampire donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the research. Of course, he wasn't allowed to call the woman insane though that was the clinical term for it; he did it once, and found himself dangling six feet off the ground. Never again would he make that mistake.

"Mr. Northman, how are you? This is not a Saturday, why have we been graced with your presence? How are you?" He simpered, almost bowing. Anything to keep the research dollars rolling in.

"As well as could be expected," Eric replied, outwardly cool, though the man's sniveling made him internally twitch. "Today is my Bonded's birthday, and I come bearing gifts for her." He held up the box for the man's eyes. "How is she?" He asked before briskly walking into the state of the art facility.

"As well as can be expected," The doctor replied, smirking at his sense of humor, though Eric did not find it nearly as amusing, so Tanaki quickly got back to business. "She still mumbles at night, though she no longer screams, which is progress. She is quiet during the day, which is also quiet, if you remember our reports from a mere couple of months ago, she screamed and talked nonstop throughout the day."

Eric growled in frustration, so the doctor tentatively reached out to pat the 1000 year old vampire on the shoulder in comfort, but at his glare, quickly withdrew his hand.

"Is she sleeping yet?" He asked, wishing he could leave this insipid man and just fly to where his Bonded is to be by her side, but he needs updates.

"Only through either sedation, or complete exhaustion," Tanaki replied sadly as they turned left down the shiny hallway to the only sleeping quarters in the facility.

The moment they stepped through the swinging doors at the end of the hallway, the contrast was striking. Whereas the hallway was sharp, clinical, and sterile, the lobby of the sleeping quarters was comfy and warm. There were hard wood floors, and soft cushy chairs with books and pillows strewn about.

Eric left the man in the dust as he quickly made his way across the floor to the window that looked in on the only bedroom. The moment he caught sight of her, he sighed in relief. It had only been five days since he'd last seen her, but only a little over a year ago, he had the extreme pleasure of experiencing her warmth every day. Being King afforded him great privileges, but he was unable to visit as much as he would like.

A puffing Tanaki caught up with him, and the man pulled out a handkerchief to blot at his sweating forehead.

"She looks well," Eric commented, his eyes tracing over her form with that of a connoisseur. She was still and always be his obsession.

"That she does," the doctor agreed automatically, and they both stood there looking through the observational room at the rocking and muttering Sookie Stackhouse.

"I'm going in," Eric suddenly announced, to the doctor's shock. The vampire had tried entering the room only last Saturday to disastrous results. He had not expected him to try again so soon, but he guessed that the vampire merely wanted to spend his 'Bonded's' birthday with her.

"Have you been practicing your meditations?" Tanaki asked, and when the vampire nodded, he waved his hand for him to proceed. He did not bother voicing his objections, as he knew they would simply be ignored. The vampire walked over to the doors, but did not enter them, simply taking a deep unneeded breath, and rocking back and forth on his heels, much like a diver before he takes the plunge.

Tanaki felt a brief flash of pity in that moment, but it was gone in an instant, because, from what he could understand-thought the vampires did not tell him much, and he did not ask-the vampire's misery was of his own making. From the little scraps of info he'd picked up, the vampire's 'bonded' was a telepath of high caliber, but only to a certain extent. She could only read human minds, and the vampire was ambitious, and wanted her to be able to read other supernatural beings. The doctor had long since distanced himself from the idea that there were _other _supernatural beings than vampire's, that was just best left alone.

So the vampire had arranged for a procedure to be done that would make her capable of reading other beings. This procedure however backfired, and ended up shattering her mind. The voices of hundreds of previously unheard creatures flooded her mind whilst she was unprepared. She was left nothing but a gibbering mess, less than a child, in manner and being.

That was when he was contacted, and brought to the facility that was now more or less his home. He was told to cure her, or make progress on her state of mind by any means necessary, and was given unlimited budget. He was virtually alone except for his patient, and two horrid beings who never spoke to him, but acted as his patient's bodyguards.

His attention was drawn back to the present as the vampire finally steeled his nerves and opened the door, present in hand. He took small steps, slowly but surely making his way towards the figure in white rocking on the bed.

Like the lobby to the sleeping quarters, her room stood in stark contrast to the rest of the facility, as it was an exact replica of a room in a certain farmhouse that resided in Bon Temps, Louisiana. The only difference was that instead of wood lying behind the flowered wallpaper, there lay six inch thick padded walls, so thick that no thoughts could penetrate it.

As Eric approached his love, he kept his thoughts light and airy, the opposite of a vampire's usual thoughts. He only filled his mind with thoughts of his love for her, his hope for her recovery, he even thought about her brother, anything that would distract her, nothing that would make her recoil. All so he could finally hold her in his arms once again.

But as grew closer and closer, she stopped rocking, and her head snapped up. She froze the moment she saw him, and he froze as well, afraid he'd frightened her. He gently leaned down and placed the present on the floor, and smiled encouragingly at her, no fangs. Still nothing happened, and he was heartened immeasurably by this prospect.

He stepped still closer to her, making sure more than ever that his thoughts were nothing but clouds and kittens, as the doctor had instructed, though it was very much against his nature. But he didn't mind, for every step he took, he got closer to his Bonded, and it would be all worth it. She was looked at him, with her head cocked in an inquisitive way as if she wasn't quite sure what to make of him.

But the moment he was within arm's reach of her, she immediately skittered back to the wall, and plastered herself there, and began screaming, and clawing, trying to get away from him and his intrusive thoughts.

Immediately, he used his vampiric speed to exit the room, but left the present on the floor for her to open.

He made his way straight towards the observation room to see what she made of her present. The doctor wisely said nothing.

The moment he left the room, she relaxed from the wall and ceased her screaming. She noticed the present on the floor, and regarded it much like a curious child would. She approached it slowly, as if she expected it to blow up. When nothing happened, she carefully unwrapped it, and opened the velvet box in, her eyes lighting up in glee when she saw her gift.

Inside the lobby, Eric smiled genuinely at seeing her happiness, while Tanaki stood by his side gaping like a fish. "Is that a…." He began, but was unable to finish his sentence, too in shock to utter another word.

"A Faberge egg?" Eric finished for him. "Yes, but more specifically the Alexander III Commemorative Egg."

Doctor Tanaki still couldn't speak so they turned back to the window to watch her play with the priceless artifact. Eric's smile widened into a grin when she found the hidden button that accessed the secret compartment, and she squealed with glee, clapping her hands in delight.

"Yes, it is a Faberge egg, and if, on my next visit, I find it missing from her room, I will kill you," Eric said casually, never tearing his eyes from the face of his Bonded. "Happy Birthday Lover," he said, before turning away from the window and saying in a normal voice, "Batanya, Clovache."

Immediately the two Britlingen appeared in front of him, bowing low, and saying in unison, "Good evening Master Eric."

He waited impatiently for them to rise. He knew that the Britlingen set Sookie on edge in Rhodes, but as of right now, they were the only creatures, human or supernatural, whose thoughts she was unable to read. So they were the ones she was most comfortable with, and he wanted her to have some sort of companionship.

"I want you to give this to her," he said, pulling a letter from her suit jacket and handing it over. "Make sure she reads it, and watch her reactions, and if she says anything, I want a full report when I return on Saturday."

They both nodded, and left to return to wherever they had been before they had been summoned. He knew that though it seemed they were not present, in reality they were probably only a hair breaths away.

He nodded to Tanaki and proceeded to head towards the exit, but was stopped by the doctor speaking.

"You're leaving?" The doctor exclaimed incredulously.

Eric set his shoulders, and talked himself out of draining the man. He was not used to explaining himself to anyone, least of all humans. "Yes. Apparently I have a ball to attend." And with that he was gone.

**A/N: And there you have it! The first chapter of Shattered, which as always goes out to Kitchycoo, because of course, this is her story! This story IS angsty (as one reader pointed out, *surprise surprise*) but it will get better… eventually, but Eric is getting his penance for his ambitions. Once again, this is AU, so keep that in mind. Eric is to a degree lovey dovey, illustrated in this chapter, but he is also still badass, as also illustrated in this chapter, so don't think he'll be soft in this story. Thanks for reading!**

**Factual Factoids**

Yep, it's carrying over from Heist!

**The Faberge egg mentioned in the story is real, the Alexander III Commemorative Egg, which is considered lost. I thought since Eric's been around for over 1000 years, he probably picked up some stuff along the way! According to Mieks Faberge Eggs, which as far as I can tell is a fansite for Faberge egg addicts (like me) and a totally awesome place to see all the eggs! Anyways, according to the site: The egg was made of platinum, gold, white matte enamel, rose-cut diamonds, and portrait diamonds.**

**The hidden compartment Sookie finds is real also. All Faberge eggs were made with these compartments for the Czarinas to find, and within these hidden compartments were treasures. The treasure within this egg is a miniature gold bust of Alexander III on a lapis lazuli pedestal.**

**BTW, this egg, and all other lost Faberge eggs are both works of art and national treasures, so if your grandmother is using one as a paperweight, please either sell if for a crapload of cash through Christie's like some schmuck did twenty years ago, or return it the Russian government, I think they would be grateful. Also tell the people at Mieks, because they are deeply invested in finding these eggs.**

**And that is my PSA for the year! I really need to stop with the long A/N's, lol.**


	3. Scents

**Shattered Chapter Two**

Eric entered the ball room reluctantly, and the moment he did so, all eyes were on him, including his 'wife'. For all intent and purposes under vampire law, Sonya was his wife, but he didn't view as such, and never would, and their 'anniversary party' was nothing but a farce to him.

But still he made the rounds with Sonya on his arm, shook hands with human politicians, exchanged cool glances with vampire ambassadors, and tried to act happy, but like so much of his life, it was all an act.

He had not been happy since the day he had shattered his Bonded's mind, and she still was just that; his Bonded. Sonya didn't understand, or refused to understand that he had a Bonded, though he had to cut it off, as it was causing Sookie undue stress, always feeling his guilt and turmoil.

The day he had told Sonya about Sookie was the closest he had ever come to killing his wife, if Pam had not interrupted, he would be another wealthy, bachelor King. They had just finished their contractual obligations, and had sex. It was good, but nothing phenomenal like it had been with Sookie, and Eric had truly no intentions to do it with Sonya again, and he had been forced to explain why, if only to shut up her whining.

"_What do you mean you won't have sex with me anymore?" Sonya shrieked, her hair sticking up all over the place, from their first and only tumble in the sack._

_Eric leveled a cool stare at her. "Was I not unclear? You. And. I. Will. Never. Fuck. Again."_

_She fumed, bunching the sheets up to cover her chest, which amused him. She had nothing he had not seen before. "Wasn't it good?" She sputtered out, confused, as she had had a mind blowing orgasm, and knew that she had made it good for him as well. She was obligated to stay with him, and faithful to him, for ten years, and she couldn't possibly do that if there was no sex._

"_It was fine," Eric said dismissively, rising, and preparing to leave to go to Fangtasia, and cloister himself in his office where it still had a faint smell of _her.

"_Fine?" Sonya repeated in disbelief. "Fine?" She shrieked, causing Eric to wince and growl. "It was fantastic and you know it! Why won't you sleep with me again?" _

_He bared his fangs at her violently, pissed that he was going to have to explain it to her, which he had had no intention of doing so. "I had sex with you to fulfill contractual obligations. Those obligations have been fulfilled. It would no longer be proper for me to sleep with you, as it would more than likely offend my Bonded if she were ever to find out."_

"_You have a bonded?" She repeated stupidly, though Eric, with great difficulty managed to restrain from rolling his eyes._

"_Yes, a telepathic one, who is far more valuable to me than to you," he said, smirking, just thinking about all the uses he had found for her, both in and out of his bedroom, though thinking of her fate, and how he had caused it, caused his smirk to fall away from his face._

_Sonya hissed at hearing a worthless human being more valuable than she, a beautiful and desirable vampiress. She forced him to tell her who his Bonded was, and where she was, and when he was done, she made a fateful mistake. She insulted Sookie. "Wait. You're telling me that you have a Bonded, but she's some insane cunt who can't even be in the same room as you without losing it completely?" She laughed cruelly, thinking that in the end, she had been triumphant in a battle that had never been fought._

_Immediately Eric had grabbed her by her blonde hair and thrown her across the room into the wall, where she crumpled in a pile. He was on her in an instant, hauling her up, and pinning her up by the neck to the wall. He snarled savagely, and began to tighten his grip, slowly crushing her, while staring with grim satisfaction into her terrified eyes. _

_Pam chose at that moment to enter the room, and or once lost her composure. "Master!" She shrieked, before rushing over, and trying to futilely to pry the enraged vampire off of his victim. "Master, you must release her," Pam pleaded, doing all she could to get him to release his grasp, while Tonya frantically scrabbled her hands on the back of his wrists._

_At once, he seemed to come back to his senses, and immediately dropped his victim, where she once again collapsed into a pile at the foot of the wall. Without another word, he turned and launched himself out of the window, determined to pay a visit to his Bonded and lover._

He was shaken out of his revelry by Sonya lightly tugging on his tuxedo and hissing urgently into his ear, a big smile still pasted on her face."It's time for us to lead a dance," she murmured, while making it seem like she was kissing his ear lovingly.

"No," he said, trying to remove his face from her grasp.

She drew back in surprise, not even bothering to mask it. "No? Why won't you dance with me? I know we fought earlier, but it was just a lover's spat, that was all, and it's just one itty bitty dance," she said, pleading coyly with him, as always aware of hyper-sensitive vampire hearing. He of course knew that she was pissed.

"No," was all he said, before leaving the ball room amidst many murmurs.

Pam caught up with him as he headed towards the door, planning on staying in a certain farmhouse in Bon Temps. "Master, I know this evening is hard for you to bear, but I believe you should stay. You are causing rumors to be spread."

Eric merely looked down at her, and wondered why she thought he cared about rumors. He was King after all; they held no affect for him.

"I know you do not care of rumors, but you married Sonya under vampire law to placate her maker, Sebastian, King of Georgia, remember? You might anger him by offending his child," Pam was still determined to make him see the importance of her information.

He snorted at that, "Not hardly Pamela, he begged me to take her off his hands. He can't stand her, and if it wasn't a huge faux pas to kill your child, he would have killed Sonya long before this."

She nodded her understanding, and left the mansion, and headed towards Bon Temps in his now out of date corvette. Like other things, he could not bear to part with it. It contained too much memories of her.

* * *

He arrived at the old farmhouse in Bon Temps, and made his way up the steps. Once inside the derelict place, he used his vampiric speed to flit past the living room, which was the scene of the crime, the place where he took everything from her.

He flew into her former bedroom, and spread himself across the bed, inhaling the smell of her deeply. Since the 'incident', he had had her house closed off, no one save him was allowed in or out, and Bill was the guard who kept watch over it. The witch went back to New Orleans, still threatening to curse him. Her brother raised hell about it until Eric offered him a large monetary compensation, and then he quieted down rather quickly.

He didn't want anyone in Sookie's house, the more people that entered it, the more her scent faded, and he couldn't allow that. He only spent time in her bedroom, immersing himself in her scent, as he could never get enough in the hospital, she always lost it too quickly for him to drown in the smell of her, as he was used to doing.

He always quickly bypassed the living room, the site of her undoing at his hands.

"_So what's going to happen?" Sookie asked, sitting on the couch as Eric stood before her, with Pam by his side. She was looking up at him with her big blue eyes, full of love and trust._

_He knelt in front of her, and picked up her hand and gently kissed it, while he heard Pam scoff in the background. "My love, you know that all your life you have been capable of reading humans clearly. You have told me you can read other Supes, mainly weres and shifters, but not nearly as clearly, and you cannot read vampires at all._

_She nodded her head in agreement with his information, and he continued, kissing her hand again. "However, we have information that suggests that you _can_ read Supes, you are just rendered incapable due to a mental block that has been erected."_

_She nodded again, processing the information, before asking a question. "Mental block? Like when rape victims block memories of their attack."_

_Eric nodded, pleased that she grasped the concept so quickly. "It is very similar to that my dear, and we have brought your telepathic friend, Barry, to remove that mental block."_

"_But I thought mental blocks were meant to protect the mind from something, maybe my mental block is there for a reason," she questioned, wary of disappointing her blonde Viking._

"_Sookie, we need you to do this. There have been rumors coming from Felipe de Castro's court, he is making moves to take you away, and make you his own personal telepath. You being able to read vampire minds would be such an asset, and we could prevent this from happening, from him taking you. Will you please do this?" He asked gently, kissing her hand once more, gently, hoping to persuade her._

"_He would take me away from you…." She murmured, staring down at Eric in conflict. After a long moment of silence, in which he waited anxiously, she nodded. "I'll do it," she said resolutely._

"_Wonderful!" Eric exclaimed. "Pamela, bring in the telepath." Immediately, he felt his child leave the house and come in with a struggling telepath._

"_Barry!" Sookie squealed, running up and hugging her reluctant male counterpart. He shrugged off her embrace, and glared at Eric in disgust._

"_You're making a mistake," he declared, and then gestured to Sookie. "This won't solve anything, and she'll never be the same again."_

_Sookie just smiled nervously, trying to wave off his concerns with an airy laugh that only belayed how truly nervous she was. "Barry, don't worry about it, if Eric says it will be fine, than I believe him," and once again, she turned to look at Eric with trust._

_Eric nodded his reassurance to her, before turning menacingly to the male telepath. "You _will _do this. I am not forcing Sookie to do anything; she is doing this of her own free will. If you do not do this, you _will _regret it."_

_Sookie gasped at his threat, but before she could object to them, he threw her couch cushions on the floor, and led her to sit comfortably upon them. Pam forced Barry to his knees in front of them._

_He inhaled the scent of her hair deeply, and tried to remain calm. She trusted him infinitely, and he could not let her see how worried he himself was about what they were about to do. All he could was trust that everything would go smoothly. What he was about to do was tempting with the Fates, that much he knew. Minds were sacred objects, and one should never tamper with them, but he was about to completely rearrange his Bonded's mental state, and he hoped it would go smoothly, or he would never forgive himself._

_She was scared. He could smell the fear coming off her in waves as clearly as he could smell the tears rolling down her cheeks._

_He tried to ignore the pain it caused in his un-dead heart._

"_Do it now." He growled at the man trembling in front of him. He pulled his little blonde telepath onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her, trapping and holding her in place._

_The trembling man shook his head frantically, and tried to back away ineffectually. The iron hands wrapped around his throat tightened infinitesimally._

_He reached out and placed both hands on her head. "I'm so sorry." He whispered before plunging into her mind._

_As he moved though her mind, he was once again struck by how bright her mind really was. There were some negative thoughts, but they were boxed to one side, with all the other dirty secrets. He ignored everything else, and focused on one thing, on finding the barrier._

_As he went further and further into her mind, it got darker, but only minimally, he could still see. But then he was stopped by a giant wall. The barrier._

"_I am so sorry Sookie, so sorry." Barry whispered once again, before gathering up his strength, and shattering the barrier._

_He shattered her; and she screamed then was quiet._

_Deadly quiet. _

Eric's eyes shot open, and he roared his distress to the surrounding forests. He wished that someone would rearrange _his _mind, remove that memory he held, so he would never have to see the aftermath ever again, even in his mind's eye.

He thought about that moment every day, but most particularly on this day, the day of his marriage to his wife, and the day of his beautiful Bonded's birthday. If she had any recollection of who she was, and if age held any meaning to her now, she would have been celebrating her 32 birthday, had he not been so selfish and greedy, and taken it all away from her.

Silently, in the former bedroom of his lover, he cried bloody tears.

**A/N: This chapter was mainly back story, and within the next couple of chapters, we should be getting into the meat of the story. Also, before anyone says anything, yes, the last part of the second italicized section was from the prologue, I just tweaked it a little. Thanks for reading!**

**This is a Support Stacie Vampire Author Auction story, won by Kitchycoo, and if you enjoy this, my other stories, or want me to write a story for you, Support Stacie is hosting another auction, and I have put myself up for auction once again. This time, it is only one story of mine that you can bid on, but I suggest you do, as all money goes to a very good cause! I have posted the links and dates of the auction in my profile!**


	4. Contrasts

**Shattered Chapter Three**

Two hours after the gala, a mere thirty minutes before the sun would rise, Eric found himself thrusting into his wife, waiting until that exultant moment, when he found his release, signaling that his fucking of the bitch was over. He would have to wait a whole year before he had to endure that torture once again, and for that he was grateful.

Fucking Sonya was nothing like making love to his little Bonded, who responded to everything he did emotionally, nothing was fake, unlike Sonya's wanna be porno moans and groans.

He pulled out and proceeded to head to the door, until Sonya's whining voice interrupted his trek. "Eric, baby, where are you going?"

Within in a second, he was atop her, hissing in her face, "Do _not _call me _baby._" All she could do was dumbly nod, and when he was satisfied that she was properly rebuked, he left, headed for his room across the mansion, far away from his wife.

When he was with Sookie, the very idea of being without her for an extended period of time was repulsive. Every moment with her was a gift, truly a precious gift to spend even a second of her fleeting human life amidst her light. He couldn't get enough of her.

He growled and slammed the door to his room, the sound echoing throughout the empty house. He didn't have his Bonded anymore, and he had no one to blame but himself, and it killed him. He picked up the framed picture of her that he kept on his bed side table, and gently traced her bright smile. "Soon my love," he whispered, before carefully setting the frame down, and succumbing to his day time slumber.

* * *

Two months later, he found himself sitting upon his 'throne' in Fangtasia, bored out of his skull. The only exciting thing that had ever happened in his bar was the eve upon which his Bonded had entered his life, and made the rest of his immortal days an adventure.

There was even a smaller, more comfortable throne sitting flush against his own, waiting for the day its mistress would come to sit on it. Every so often, a fangbanger would try to sit on it, and mysteriously found themselves sitting on their asses in front of the door outside.

He sighed, wondering, and not for the first time, if it was all worth it. Maybe Sookie regaining her sanity was, as everyone warned him, a lost cause. Maybe he was being foolish, and it was time to give up and just go meet the sun.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Pam zoomed to his side, holding a phone. "Master, Dr. Tanaki called, he wants you down there immediately."

Before the words were even out of her mouth, he had literally flown out of the bar, deciding it would be too slow to take his Corvette, he instead took to the skies, cutting his trip down to mere minutes.

He landed with a muted thud in front of an astonished Tanaki who had been expecting the Corvette. Eric ignored the doctor's surprised face and asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Is Sookie alright?"

But the doctor was still too stupefied by the fact that his employer could fly, and was temporarily speechless. Eric growled, impatient, and hoping to snap the man out of it, but that proved to be ineffectual, and instead, Clovache stepped in helpfully.

"Master Eric," she began in her low calming voice, "the Mistress is alright, that's what Dr. Tanaki was calling you about," she began, but before she could continue, the doctor regained his ability to speak, and took over.

"Yes, yes, my apologies, you merely startled me. Sookie is quite alright, in fact the reason why I called you is that I believe we have made a break through, and wish for you test it."

Eric's fangs had run out at the words, and he immediately left the Britlingen and the doctor as he sped through the halls of the miniature hospital, until he reached his Bonded's quarters. She was in almost the exact same spot as she was the last time he had seen her.

She was in a long flowing white sleeping gown, with ribbons trailing to the floor, sitting in front of a vanity, and brushing out her long, thick blonde hair, and humming softly to herself.

"That tune," Eric whispered, recognizing it, while Tanaki looked eagerly up at him. "That's the song that was playing while we danced in Rhodes…." He whispered, lost in the memory, while Tanaki looked like he was about to explode in excitement.

"She is remembering something directly? Something in connection to you? This is fantastic!" He grabbed his clipboard and began scribbling frantically. "You must go in Mr. Northman; I think she will respond favorably towards you on this evening!"

Eric glanced down with an amused eye at the ecstatic doctor. "If you insist Dr. Tanaki," he said drolly, before heading towards the doors. He, as always, took an unneeded breath, before entering the room where his Bonded resided.

When she heard the door open, Sookie looked up, placing the brush down, and for once, smiled up at Eric, which filled him with hope. He took cautious step after cautious step towards her with his heart in his throat, mindful of everything he did and thought, until he was standing right in front of her.

She looked at him with an inquisitive smile. "Do I know you?" She asked daintily, before picking up her hairbrush and returning to her previous occupation.

He immediately broke down at her feet, bloody tears pouring down his face, which seemed to horrify her, as he sobbed on his knees before her. Behind the glass window, Batanya and Clovache were leading Dr. Tanaki away, to give their Master privacy.

Eric didn't know how he felt in that moment. It was a cross between relieved and devastated. He was ecstatic that his Bonded no longer withdrew from him, but it was clear that her mind was still shattered, and she had no true recollection of him, only abstract bits and pieces, such as the song she had been humming earlier.

He contemplated giving her his blood, but knew from past experiences, that blood, even some as strong and ancient as his own, could not heal everything, and the mind was one of the untouchables.

"Seriously, do I know you?" She repeated her inquiry, sounding thoroughly disgusted by his display, and he supposed he couldn't blame her; he must look horrible, his face covered in blood.

"I am Eric Northman," he introduced himself, getting to his feet, picking up her hand, and gallantly kissing the back of it, which he was delighted to see, caused her to look down and blush prettily.

She let out a small squeak of surprise when, in one fluid moment, he swept her off her vanity stool, into his arms, and out the doors, where they were met by a frantic Tanaki.

"Mr. Northman, where are you going?" The short doctor huffed out, once again pulling out a hanky, and blotting his forehead almost viciously.

Eric gave him an imperious look, and said, "I am taking my Bonded home. Clovache and Batanya will stay here and pack up her things. Your services are no longer needed, Dr. Ludwig will take over from here, thank you for your dedication, you will be generously rewarded," and with that, he strode past the sweating doctor and out the doors into the hallways, still carrying a shocked Sookie in his arms.

Tanaki stood there staring at the swinging doors in shock, his words about 'more tests' dying on his lips before they even had a chance to be spoken, while behind him the two Britlingen were dutifully going about their task of packing up their Mistress's items.

"Now what?" The doctor murmured, before sinking into a chair and planning on taking a _very _long nap.

* * *

Pam was waiting for Eric in front of Fangtasia when he touched down in the parking lot as gently as possible, carrying his precious cargo. Sookie was hanging onto his neck for dear life, her eyes wide and panicked, though she had not uttered a sound.

Pam blinked several times at the sight before her, as if she could not quite believe it. "Sookie," she breathed out, almost reverently. She had been with her Master a couple of times to visit his Bonded, but ultimately found it too depressing, even for a vampire. "Master, is she alright?" She asked, staring at the little telepath in his arms.

He ignored the concern in Pam's voice, dismissing it with a sharp, "She's fine. Call Dr. Ludwig and tell her to meet me at the mansion. Assure her that I am well aware what time it is, and that she will be well compensated for this visit." He turned and strode towards his Corvette, depositing Sookie gently in the passenger seat, brushing some hair away from her wide, child like eyes. In all this time she had not uttered a word, and it concerned him. She was usually very… vocal about most things.

Even Pam was concerned. "Master, is she broken?" She asked, staring down at the silent Sookie with inquiring eyes.

"She's fine," he repeated brusquely, sliding into the driver's seat with ease. "We will be at the house, join us after you close up Fangtasia," he ordered, starting the car.

"But Master," Pam began hesitantly, "You will take her back to the house? What about Sonya? She will not like that. At all," though her words were well meaning, her tone of voice made it clear that she didn't care what Sonya would or would not like. At all.

He considered that momentarily, before shrugging dismissively. "Call Cataliedes, have him draw up divorce papers immediately, and have them sent to the mansion. We'll sign tomorrow evening."

Pam continued to look doubtful but Eric ignored it, and pulled swiftly out of the parking lot. He watched the image of his Child fade in the rear view mirror, her already making calls on her cell phone.

They were half way to his mansion when Sookie finally spoke, surprising him so much, he nearly jerked the car off the road, even with his vampiric reflexes. "Eric…?" She began tentatively, as if she was unsure of his name, "What is a Bonded?"

He chuckled that that of all things would be her first question of him in her new life. "You are dearest," he said affectionately. "You are, my dear, darling, beloved Bonded. It means we are married, and I love you very much."

She blinked, taking that in. "Oh," was all she said, before settling back into her seat, and the car fell silent once more.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long to get out! It screwed up my posting schedule, but by Wednesday, everything should be back to normal! Thanks for reading it, hope you enjoyed!

**Buy Me: **This story was a Support Stacie auction item, won by Kitchycoo. She got to choose the story I wrote, and has absolute veto power on anything that goes on in this story. If you would like that power, if there's a story you want me to write, you can bid on me, now through Sunday 7 PM CST. I hope you do bid on me, it's all for a good cause! Link is on profile, and the ever amazing Kitchycoo has informed me that she will make a banner for the winning story!


	5. Q & A

**Shattered Chapter Four**

When he entered his mansion, still cradling Sookie in his arms, here was no sign of Sonya. He didn't know where his unwanted wife was, and he didn't really care.

Sookie was still being quiet and it worried him. He entered his chambers and gently deposited her on his bed. He leaned over and began undoing the ties of her night gown.

Her hands came up immediately to grab his. He could have easily fought her off, but he immediately stilled and looked up to her face where she was staring down at him with fearful eyes.

"Shh," he whispered, removing her hands and pressing them into the mattress beneath her. "Shh my Love, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just going to change your night gown. I will never hurt you, and in time you will know this as a truth," he said, staring deeply into her eyes. After a moment, she nodded silently, and he once again began undoing the ribbons that adorned her gown.

When he peeled the gown from her body, he was suddenly conflicted from devouring the sight that he'd missed, with hungry eyes, or turning away to hide the raging erection that had suddenly formed at seeing her naked body.

He decided on turning away, throwing the gown away on the way to her closet. She watched him silently, still naked, and uncaring of her state of undress.

Her closet was a masterpiece, filled completely with designer clothes of wispy fabrics, none were too tight, or too low-cut, all was just right for his Bonded's tastes. He turned back to her holding a new nightgown, and his fangs ran out upon seeing her so blatantly displaying her body with no shyness whatsoever.

That was new.

He made his way back over to their bed, and had her lift her arms so he could slide the silk gown over her body, surprising himself by being jealous of a piece of fabric. In the process, she had turned her head, and recognized herself in the picture by his bed.

She turned back to him, faint surprise in her eyes. "I must know you then, if you have a picture of me. Were we close?"

"Yes," he whispered, sliding into bed next to her, and wrapping her securely into his embrace. "We knew each other very well."

"Did we love each other?"

He stiffened at the term, so unused to hearing it, but then relaxed, and kissed the top of her head murmuring, "We loved each other very much."

After hearing that, she relaxed into his arms, snuggling in close to him. He could hear her falling asleep after a couple of minutes. He laid there, watching her, and rejoicing in her deep, steady breathing.

It was such a change from before where her nights were spent trapped in nightmares, plagued with demons he couldn't save her from.

He nuzzled his face into her hair, and inhaled her sweet perfume, staying firmly imbedded in her golden curls, as the sun arose and took him into his day sleep.

* * *

When Sookie awoke, she found herself still encased in the man's arms. She was confused by this, but not really all that concerned. For whatever reason, she felt completely safe around him.

He told her that his name was Eric Northman, but that meant nothing to her, it didn't even register in her brain. He had a picture of her by his bed, and he said he knew her, claimed that they loved each other. She didn't know what to make of that, but she couldn't deny that he treated her with the utmost care and gentleness.

She stretched, which was hard to do within his tight embrace, and then tried to wiggle out of his arms, which took several minutes, and a great deal of energy. Surprisingly, the man didn't wake up with all of the movement, didn't even stir for a second, which she found curious.

She glanced down at her nightgown, and wanted to change, as she had noticed him going into the closet the evening before, but ultimately decided she didn't want to just steal his clothes.

She also wanted to know what time it was, but there was no clock in the room and no windows at all, which she also found curious. She spied two doors, on opposite walls, and went to the one closest to her, which turned out to be an elaborate bathroom. All was filled with rather generic brands that did not seem to fit in with the man's elaborate manor. All of the products, she noted, seemed familiar to her, and she quite enjoyed all of their scents.

She relieved herself in the bathroom, and then proceeded to check out the other door, which turned out to lead into a hallway. She glanced up and down it cautiously, and then looked back at the sleeping man in the bed, whose arms were still shaped as if they were wrapped around her. She turned around and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Sookie wandered aimlessly through the halls, getting more and more thoroughly lost. She couldn't believe anyone needed that big of a house. She finally found herself in the kitchen, and was awed by the size of it, and all of the appliances. It looked as if it had never been used!

"Hello there," she heard from behind her, and whipped around to see a breathtakingly beautiful woman standing there. She was blonde, skinny, and so slinky, she practically oozed sex, her voice dripping with innuendo and laced with huskiness. "I'm Sonya. I didn't know that Eric had brought home take out. How… delightful."

And to Sookie's shock, fangs suddenly emerged from the beautiful woman's mouth, and in a flash, she was standing there next to her.

Sookie was too scared to move, and instead stood there with her eyes clenched shut, fearful of what was to happen next.

Sonya slowly lowered her fangs to Sookie's neck, but right as she broke the skin, a blonde blur flew through the kitchen, grabbed Sonya by the hair and threw her across the room into the cabinetry and marble counter tops, causing that wall to collapse on her, and the marble and wood to turn to rubble around her body.

Sookie stared at the scene in shock, and didn't say anything, just cowered behind Eric who was hovering protectively in front of her, his fangs fully out.

After a moment, Sonya's limp body began to stir, and emerged from the pile of stone and wood that used to be half of his kitchen.

"What the fuck?" She hissed out, hopping onto the island and crouching defensively, with some effort.

"Damn," he replied in mock disappointment, fury lining every word. "That wood didn't stake you. I was hoping for that to happen."

Sookie whimpered behind him, and he turned to kiss her on the cheek gently, and then turned back to Sonya, the rage he expressed in his eyes terrifying her to the bone.

"Sonya, despite being Queen of Louisiana, you have committed a blood offense against the Bonded of your King. This offense is one punishable by death," he began in a cool and deadly voice, but was interrupted by her panicked high pitched squeal.

"No! I had no idea she was yours, my King. You said that she was in an asylum! I didn't know, you cannot punish me for that!"

He hissed at her words, he knew she was right, though he had been hoping to finally get rid of the bitch now that he had Sookie, his Bonded, and true Queen back by his side.

"Leave," he growled out, and she obeyed immediately, hopping off the island, and running out of the room, and then out of the house, slamming the front door with such force that the whole house shook a little.

When she left, he turned back around to stare at his little mate, and by the time that he was fully facing her, his expression was fully devoid of any of the rage and anger he had previously displayed. To her, he only showed love and compassion.

He picked her up gently in his arms once again, reveling in the feeling of holding her after all the time spent apart. He sat her carefully on the island and spread her legs to stand between them, so he could look at her face to face.

When he had woken up that evening, he had been terrified to find Sookie no longer in his arms, even more so when he smelt Sonya near her. When he had smelt his Bonded's blood on the air however, he simply lost it.

That was the first time of business he wanted to talk to her about, and he decided to get straight to it, and immediately said, "Sookie, from now on, you cannot leave our bed until I am also awake, and give you permission."

He had expected her to immediately start balking at the process, and thus was shocked when she nodded and said with a sweet smile, "Sure thing, Eric."

He was surprised at her quick acquiesce, but he supposed that nearly being drained by a creature that was 'new' to you, made you think twice about leaving your bed chambers, and chalked it up to that.

Now Lover, I have some questions that I wish to ask you, and I must ask that you answer them as truthfully as possible."

She nodded in agreement, but said, "That's fine, but I want to ask you questions also. Will you be truthful to me as well?"

He immediately nodded back to her, and replied, "Of course I will. I might not tell you everything, but what I do tell you is the truth."

She thought that over, and nodded once more, lazily lifting her arms and twining them around his neck, which pleased him greatly. He took that as his permission to begin, and immediately dived right in. "Dearest, tell me what you remember of before."

"Hmm," she mulled it over, thinking hard over her answer. "Before I ended up in that facility? I remember nothing. It was like I just opened my eyes one day, and I was there. It was awful. A man would come in every day, and I think he was trying to help me, except for whatever reason…." Here she paused, and looked nervous, chewing savagely on her lips.

He reached over with one hand, and casually disengaged her lips from her teeth, ending the damage. "Go on dearest, you can tell me anything."

She nodded reluctantly, but continued with her story haltingly. "I can… I can read minds! And the man, I think he was a doctor, he would come in every day, and he would try to help me, but I could hear his thought screaming out at me, and it made everything hurt so much more. My head felt like it would shatter every day. I briefly remember a man coming to visit me every week, but his visits were always the worse. It was like his thoughts were being shoved into my head, they were screaming at me, always lovely things, about how much he loved me, but they were so _loud_ and I just couldn't turn it off!" As she finished, he could feel her beginning to quake in his arms, her anxiety overtaking her.

"Shh, shh," he whispered, taking her into his arms, sliding her off the island, and walking with her to the couch where he settled her on his lap comfortably. "No more of this, yes? You are out of that dreadful place, thoughts aren't being shoved into your head anymore, and most importantly, I love you," he whispered, stroking her hair lovingly.

She sat up straight on his lap suddenly, as if realizing something, and turned to face him, tracing his face softly, while he tried to keep his fangs from coming out. "It was you," she whispered in awe. "You were the one who came every week to visit me."

"Yes," he whispered back, staring deep into her eyes. She surprised him when she slowly leant forward and kissed him softly on the lips. She withdrew quickly, far too quickly for his liking, but he did not pursue her. "My lover, I still have some more questions for you."

She leaned back, but resumed tracing his face, almost as if she _had _to touch him. "Go ahead."

"How did you get better? Do not misunderstand, I am overjoyed by this news, but it seems very out of the blue."

She withdrew her hand, which caused him to whimper internally, and tapped her chin, deep in thought. "Well, it wasn't a conscious thing, like I didn't wake up one day and decide, 'Hmmm, I want to not be insane anymore.' I was just sitting there, rocking back and forth, and just wishing it would all _stop_, and then out of nowhere, I began humming that song… and then it did stop. I don't know how, I can't explain it; I just know that it was finally quiet."

He was silent, mulling over her answer, digesting it, before asking, "And what do you remember of your life before the facility?"

"I don't," she answered immediately, and his eyebrows shot up. "I know that I am Sookie, and you are Eric, and that I am in your home. I know Batanya and Clovache, and the doctor, and I know that woman, Sonya. I do not know what my hobbies are, or my last name, or anything _about_ myself, except that I used to be able to read minds. That's it."

He leaned back against the couch and groaned. He felt like crying. His beautiful Bonded, once so vibrant and full of life was gone now. She had no recollection of her previous self, of who she was. She was an empty shell now, a moving mannequin who happened to look like her. Yet, he would not give up hope yet, there was a chance that she might regain her memory, or at least regain some semblance of who she once was. Maybe it would come naturally to her over time. He could only hope.

"And can you still read minds?"

"I don't know. I haven't tried to, but I can if you want," she smiled brilliantly up at him, hoping to please the man she barely knew, and was startled when the reaction she got was the exact opposite.

He sat up ram-rod straight on the couch, and shouted, "NO!" After seeing that he had scared her, he immediately calmed down. "My love, I want you to promise me that you will never try to read someone else's mind. Promise me!"

"I thought you would want me to," she said cautiously, but eventually cowed under his intense stare. "Fine, I promise," she huffed out, crossing her arms.

Though she couldn't tell, Eric was extremely pleased by her reaction, not because she agreed, but rather _how_ she agreed. Her actions were very much like those of her former self, and it made him excited.

He would not back down on her mind reading though. He had learnt his lesson the first time, and would no longer meddle in one's mind, especially one so precious as Sookie's. He did not want to risk her opening her mind back up, and losing everything all over again. He didn't think he could take it. In some vampire's eyes, he might be seen as a fool for giving up a great asset, but in his own eyes, he saw it as gaining something infinitely more precious.

"That is all the questions I have for you now my lover, so what are yours?"

"Well of course, I want you to tell me more about myself, but first: What are you? You and that woman, Sonya, you're not human, I may not know much, but that I do know."

He grinned at her astuteness, and wasn't surprised that this was coming up so soon. "I will tell you more about yourself tomorrow my beautiful Bonded, when we have plenty of time to discuss it, as tonight, I will answer your one question, but then I must insist that you eat, and then retire to bed, you are tired, I can tell. But I must warn you that I will only give you facts. I do not want to influence your preferences or personality in anyway." She nodded, agreeing to his terms. "As to your question, you are very smart. I am _not _human."

He heard her breath catch in her throat, and smirked at her, revealing her fangs, causing her to withdraw back a little with a gasp. Slowly but surely she came in closer to him again, becoming bold enough to stroke his fangs lightly, causing him to moan at the erotic feeling.

When she withdrew her fingers, he answered her question fully.

"My darling little one, I am vampire."

**A/N: So some questions are answered, and some progress is made. I hope this explains a little bit more about what happened with Sookie in regards to her mind, and what her mental state is now. Thanks for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it!**

**As always, this story is for the amazing and ever fabulous, Kitchycoo, who won this story in the Vampire Author Auction for Support Stacie!**


	6. Going Out

**Shattered Chapter Five**

Sookie stared at herself in the mirror, brushing her hair gently with a sterling silver brush given to her by her vampire, Eric. She brushed her hair at least a hundred strokes every day to keep it soft and shiny for him, as he seemed to admire her hair very much.

She put the brush down and turned from the vanity to stare at him, asleep for the day. She thought, staring at him, that she had never seen a more handsome man in her life, though she had not seen very many men of course.

Since he had taken her from the institute two months ago, he had been her whole world, all she had known. She had slept in his bed with him, changed beside him, ate in front of him, had scarcely been apart from him for more than ten minutes at a time.

It seemed to pain him to be apart from her, and though she herself did not understand, she felt the same way, and was quite happy with her existence in his home, the only place she had seen.

She had not been let out of his house many times, and even then, she was only permitted to explore his expansive grounds, never to leave his property, yet being tethered to his side didn't bother her, but often she felt a spark of anger and annoyance that felt quite unfamiliar to her.

There were really only three black clouds on her horizon, and one involved leaving Eric's house. She didn't want to go anywhere without him, of course not, but she had explored all the house had to offer, and though he kept giving her gifts in the form of jewelry, and clothing, she still wanted to see what lay beyond her vampire's property.

She was wary to bring it up with him though, as she was afraid of him getting mad. She knew, though she didn't know _how _she knew, with steadfast conviction that he wouldn't hurt her, but she still didn't want anything popping the happy little bubble they currently inhabited. She was afraid that her desire to see the outside world would be the extremely sharp pin that would pop that bubble.

The second cloud on her horizon was Eric's continued refusal to tell her anything of her past that was still a mystery to her, no matter how much she tried to get it back.

She often found herself waking in the night from dreams that she _knew _were about her former life, but try as she might, remembering them was like trying to catch smoke between her fingers, and the result always left her feeling empty and frustrated.

He refused to tell her anything about her former self, not even her favorite color. He told her he was too afraid of influencing her, he wanted her to discover herself, not have him mold her into something he wanted.

She understood the sentiment and was even grateful, but again, she could not help but feel so _frustrated_ by his silence.

But she did as she was told, as if she had any other option with her head strong and stubborn vampire, and found what she liked all by herself.

She found that her favorite color was blue, periwinkle, not navy. She realized that given the choice, she much preferred dresses over pant; light, somewhat clingy materials like silk and suede, over skin-tight leathers and latex. She comes to the realization that she is a fan of the Twilight series, much to the displeasure of Eric, but he told her to find her interests on her own, so she did.

She discovers that she adores it when Eric calls her little one, or dear one, and especially when he calls her lover, though that too strikes a bone of contention between them; her third and final cloud.

At least once a day Eric called her lover, but they were anything but. She could tell from his glances and innuendo's that in her past life they were more than just friends, but for now, it seemed he was adamant in refusing his desire of her.

And she never doubted that he desired her, and she him. Though she could not truly remember him from her past, it would seem that their attraction to one another was chemical, physical, and all too instinctual to deny for any long periods of time.

That was not to say either that Eric did not make some advances on her, but nothing too extreme. Every night, she slept in his bed, and every night he kissed her on the shoulder before she went to sleep, and at least once a week they exchanged blood, but she still hadn't gotten anything more sexual than a kiss, and just like trying to remember her former life, she found it extremely frustrating!

She was torn from her musings by Eric rustling on the bed, which she was sure he had done on purpose, as she had seen firsthand just how still a vampire could truly be.

"What are you thinking about that has you so far away from me?" He asked, giving her a devastating grin, and opening his arms to her, causing her to rise from the vanity and drape herself into his arms and over his body.

"You." She replied simply, and kissed the tip of his nose, delighting him utterly.

"How flattering for me to hear, you must be sure it doesn't go to my head!" He teased, rolling her beneath him, and kissing her nose in turn, making her giggle.

"Oh, that's impossible, you're head is already so inflated with that ego of yours!" She laughed louder as he faked a pout, and then tickled her sides mercilessly.

"Enough, enough, mercy, mercy," She pleaded through her laughter until her finally relented, and let her roll back beside him laying on her stomach and trying to catch her breath.

It took her several minutes to calm down, and he just laid on his side, watching her contentedly.

When she was finally able to breathe normally, she too rolled on her side to face him, and gathered up her courage to finally speak to him and ask him about seeing the outside world.

"Eric," She began hesitantly, and he just arched an eyebrow, inviting her to continue. She took a deep breath to steel her nerves, and began. "The past two months with you have been amazing, not that I have anything to compare them to," She said jokingly, but knew it was a bad idea when he began to glower. She should have known better. He couldn't stand it when she brought up her memory loss. She shook her head, trying to forget about her faux pas, and then started over. "With you, in this house, spending time with you every night has been amazing, it has… but I'm bored. I know that you leave to go somewhere else, I presume to your business, do you think tonight I could go with you?"

He didn't say anything, just stared at her intently for a long time, so long that she became fearful of his reaction.

"Never mind, it was a stupid idea, I'm—." She was cut off as he lunged at her and kissed her soundly on the mouth.

She was taken aback for a moment, but then caught her bearings and snaked her hands around his neck, and returned his kiss with fervor. He rolled them until she found herself soundly pinned beneath his thick body, and felt his heavy arousal prodding at her leg.

She moaned as a flash of excitement rushed through her. She was hoping that his forwardness in this moment meant that he was finally going to make love to her, but her hopes were dashed as slowly, but determinedly disengaged her arms from around his neck, and rolled off from atop her and off the bed to his feet.

She lay there on the bed, once again trying to catch her breath, wither hair mussed, her night gown ridden up, and tingles of her own arousal floating in the pit of her stomach, and she felt, for the first time in her remembered existence with Eric, a strong and intoxicating shock of anger embrace her.

She took hold of the anger and ran with it. "What the hell?" She shrieked, seeming to simultaneously startle Eric, and pain him as he winced at the decibels her voice reached. He opened his mouth to speak, but she was so angry that she cut him off. "What the hell Eric? You can't keep doing this to me! Every night is the same, you kiss me, you lead me on, you make me _want _you, but nothing ever happens! I love being here with you, I do, but every _single _night is the same, nothing ever changes! You wake up, you kiss me, you give me a gift that I don't need, you get showered and changed, you leave, you come back, we talk for a couple of hours, we make out, you pull back, we get changed, and then we both sleep! What's the point of it all?" She finished her tirade, and stood there glaring at him, her chest rising and falling with every heavy pant, with her fists clenched at her side.

Again, he was silent, just staring at her, and for a second she thought she saw a spark of what looked like hope, but then she figured she must have imagined it, because in the next second, his eyes were dead and lifeless in a way that scared her.

"I'm getting in the shower. While you're waiting for it, pick out an evening gown to wear. We're going out." He said morosely, and then walked into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving her staring after him with tears pricking at her eyes.

* * *

Sometime later, Sookie found herself in a sweeping, floor length black evening gown, to which, when Eric saw her in it, he presented her with a onyx cuff embedded with star shaped diamonds, which made her want to cry even more for being so horrible to a man who was so sweet to her.

He led her gently down the stairs of his house, out, and into his red car, opening the door for her and carefully helping her in.

They sat in silence as he drove them away from his peaceful house in the countryside and into the bright and bustling city that Sookie had never seen before and reveled in seeing now. The bright lights hurt her eyes, as where she lived with Eric was in the country and there was only natural lighting.

She was still worried about his silence, and wanted to comment on it, but one glance at his face had her rethinking that decision, and she remained quiet as they continued driving on at a breakneck speed.

She had no idea where they were going, as he had not told her, but assumed it would be a nice restaurant judging by the way he had her dress, and was thus mildly surprised when they pulled up in front of a club.

It was nice, not run down in any way, but it was not what she was expecting, from the bright red neon sign reading _Fangtasia_, to the line of people at the door all dressed in black and leather. She cowered back in her seat at the sight of them. Since the blonde woman had attacked her then left, Sookie hadn't seen another person other than Eric, and the sight of so many people terrified her.

It didn't help either that all of them seemed to recognize Eric's car idling in front of the building or that they were staring at it with excited looks on their faces.

Eric, for his part, didn't seem to notice and just left the engine on while he took Sookie's hand in his own. "Sookie, roll down the window." She shook her head fearfully. "Sookie. Now." She took a shaking hand and pressed the automatic button for the window. The moment that they saw the window being rolled down, they began yelling out cat calls. "Can you hear anything?" She gave him an odd look, and he clarified, "In your head."

She closed her eyes and focused, and then finally shook her head with a small grin on her face.

"Excellent, roll the window back up dearest, we don't have to listen to those disgusting vermin anymore." He said and then drove around back and parked in a spot clearly labeled 'Master'. He got out and quickly opened her door and helped her out. "Welcome to Fangtasia little one, Shreveport's only vampire bar, and one of my business ventures."

She stared at it with wide eyes. "You own this?" She was in awe, and could not help being intimidated by the dark building.

He nodded, bringing her hand still clasped in his to his mouth to kiss it gently. "Indeed. This is where I go every night when I leave you. You know I am Sheriff, well this is my headquarters, and other than my house, there is no other safer place for you."

He began leading her through the back entrance, tugging her hand slightly when she began to draw back after her senses were hit with the loud, thumping music. The moment they entered, they were greeted by a tall blonde woman bowing in front of them. "Master, Sookie."

Immediately Sookie stepped behind Eric's body for protection, only peeking out when she heard nothing but laughter.

The blonde woman was laughing heartily, her fangs extended, while Eric smirked at Sookie's actions. "Come on out lover, this is Pamela, my child, the one I told you about. She would never harm you."

Slowly Sookie crept out from behind him and offered Pamela her hand, causing the vampiress to start laughing all over again. "Even without her memory, she is most amusing master."

Eric stopped smirking at that, and bared his fangs at his child, causing her to become somber. "Where will the little human be staying tonight?" She asked, still eyeing Sookie with some amusement.

"Out front with me, of course," Eric said, brushing past Pamela and leading Sookie again. They made their way to the front of the club where every eye was immediately turned on them.

Sookie shrank back once more. She didn't need to be a telepath anymore to know what any of them were thinking judging from their glares. Eric tugged her forward to a throne, sitting upon it and tugging her down on his lap. She noticed that there was a smaller throne sitting next to his, but he seemed to be expecting her to sit on his lap, and if she was honest, she knew she would feel better in his embrace. So she draped herself easily across him and cuddled her head into his chest to avoid the hateful stares, and Eric's arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace.

She knew that many would think her crazy for trusting a man, a vampire of all things after losing her memories, instead of trying to find her family, but she couldn't explain it. She knew nothing, save what he told her, knew nothing about his history, about _their _history, but it didn't matter to her. She didn't know what he did every night at the bar that she just found out he owned, for all she knew, these woman were glaring at her because he slept with them, she truly didn't know _anything _about the vampire now cuddling her.

But that didn't change the fact that she trusted him implicitly, and knew he would never harm her, physically or emotionally. It was the only certainty that she had in her scrambled mind.

Eric squeezed her tighter and dropped a kiss on her head as if he could sense her anxiety. "Be calm little one," he whispered. "Soon we will dance amongst the vermin, and show them all how above them you truly are." He whispered a kiss just below her ear, causing her to shiver, and him to chuckle. "Just be sure not to touch them."

So they sat there together on his throne, still not speaking, but in relative ease until a rather bland looking man with brown hair and eyes walked in. He seemed to freeze at the sight of them together on the throne, but then recovered and was in front of them in an instant. Vampire as well.

"Sookie what the fuck?" He shouted at her, causing every eye in the place to land on them, and behind her, she could hear Eric's fangs pop out, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pam appear at Eric's shoulder, her fangs extended as well. Eric gently pushed her off of his lap, until she was on her feet and standing right next to Pam. He rose to his feet as well, and glared hatefully at the younger vampire.

She cocked her head in curiosity. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" She asked, her blue eyes widening with childlike innocence.

The man ignored her question, and instead turned his rage filled eyes to Eric. "You bastard!" He yelled before launching himself at the other, much older vampire.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, and sorry for ending it there, but I had to be even crueler after waiting over a month to update this story! Again, I'm sorry, but I hope you found this chapter to your liking.**

**Thanks for the mega positive responses I got to my very first smutty one shot: The Love Hotel. I have three more smutty one shots lined up, so look out for those soon.**

**If you would like to follow me on Twitter, the name is the same: Ohfortuneslost.**


	7. Confrontations

**Shattered Chapter Six**

Eric snarled as Bill came at him, he easily caught the younger vampire around the upper arms and flung him over his head and into the wall behind him. "Get her into my office," He hissed at Pam. He didn't want Sookie seeing any of this.

The moment she left the room, he was on Bill, grabbing him roughly and dragging him down into the basement where he immediately grabbed the silver chains. He ignored their burning sensation and immediately wrapped them around the younger vampire's wrists, neck, and then around the pole.

He shot the younger man a sinister grin. "Now that we're all comfortable, let's _chat._" His eerie expression left no doubt what he meant by chatting.

He was delighted that Compton had decided to be so foolish. While he was pissed that he had made his move in front of Sookie, he was glad that he would be able to take some of the frustration from the last couple of weeks out on him. He made the perfect punching bag, as someone he had wanted to get rid of for a very long time.

Eric walked over to a side table covered with various instruments. He caressed them all lightly, lovingly, before picking up a pair of heavy duty bolt cutters.

Bill Compton glared at his captor from his place chained to the pole. "What do you want to chat about Eric?" He spat out hatefully.

"Let's start off the conversation with why the _hell_ you thought it would be okay to come in here and approach my Bonded and Queen? Why you thought you had the right to speak to her, as if you are not dirt beneath her heels!"

"Fuck you," Was the only answer he received and he laughed long and loud at it.

"Well then, let's not waste time on foreplay, shall we?" And without any further warning, Eric brought up the bolt cutters and snapped off Bill's pointer finger on his right hand. The other vampire growled and his eyes shot wide, but otherwise he didn't react. "Oh come on Bill, darling don't be a cold fish, you know I want you to _scream _for me." He cut off the middle and ring fingers, eliciting a tiny moan.

"Does she know that you're a cold hearted bastard? I bet you haven't shown her that side yet. You want to know why I came here? To tell her exactly what kind of vampire you really are!"

Eric glared down at him in fury and then brought the bolt cutters up and smacked Bill across the head with it. The blow caused a sickening smack to sound through the room, and Bill's head snapped to the side, but his eyes, filled with hatred stayed on Eric.

"She's going to find out you know? Oh sure, you're playing the nice vampire now, respecting her boundaries, haven't fucked her yet have you? I bet you barely take her blood, trying to get her to fall in love with you all over again, through trickery, just like before. But she's smart. She's going to figure out that the blood you're taking from her isn't enough; she's going to start wondering where you're getting the rest from. She already knows the effects of feeding, she's going to wonder what else is going on in the sidelines, and then you're façade will tumble!" He spat out with vengeful triumph, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto Eric.

With a loud growl, Eric flew about the room using vampire speed. He turned Bill so his back was to the room, donned a pair of leather gloves, and then picked up a leather and silver whip. He sneered at the back of the coward in front of him and raised the whip, swinging it around in the air to gain momentum, and then bringing it down with full force onto the other man's back.

Bill let out a pained cry that intermingled with the terrified shriek that filled the room. Eric's head snapped up with a snarl that immediately disappeared when he saw that Sookie was the source of the scream. Her eyes were focused on his hand, and he looked down to see himself still holding the whip incriminatingly, and he immediately dropped it to the ground guiltily.

If that was not a sign that he was utterly tamed by this human he did not know what was. This woman completely slayed him, he was hers to do as she wished, as long as she remained healthy. "Sookie, I'm sorry you had to see this, but please go upstairs."

She took him in, and for a moment she seemed like she was about to obey, but then her eyes narrowed and she seemed to focus in on something. "No." She said decisively, and he bit back a groan.

Of all the times she could have chosen to retain some of her former stubbornness, and she chose this moment? But a small part of him couldn't help but be pleased to see a glimmer of the old Sookie shining through.

"Please." It was a quiet word spoken in the near dark, and as close to begging as he would get.

She once again ignored him and walked down the steps and further into the darkness and towards Bill Compton, who was still whimpering in pain, bent over like the broken man that he was. She seemed mesmerized, in a trance, and completely unaware that she was approaching the dark vampire.

Eric made no moves to stop her, if it was her wish to be closer to Compton; he would not stop her as long as no injuries came to her, though it broke his undead heart to see her once again drawn to the younger vampire.

"You." She said softly, as if still in a trance. "Earlier tonight you called me by my name. You know who I am… who I was. Tell me."

"No." Eric's voice cut through their moment like a knife. "Ask him anything, command him anything, and I swear to you that he will obey. But not that."

Sookie turned and gave him a frustrated look, but before she could speak, Bill venomously said, "Why? Are you afraid that she'll leave you when she discovers the truth?"

Eric shot him a chilling look and replied in an equally cold tone of voice, "No. Unlike you, I am unconcerned with petty power plays and only have Sookie's safety and best interest at heart. It is safer for her if her memories come back to her naturally instead of having them forced upon her for someone else's revenge."

"Tell me the truth about what Eric?" Sookie looked at him with her big blue eyes and not for the first time he was urged to grovel at her feet, confess his sins to her, and beg for her forgiveness. But he ignored these urges and instead spoke to her calmly but with no doubt Sookie was to obey him.

"It is nothing of great importance little one, I must ask you once again to go upstairs, and then send Pamela down to me."

"I will go upstairs, but I don't want you punishing Pam. It's not her fault I found you, a vampire was feeding off a human without the human's consent, and she went to go deal with it discreetly before the police arrived. I got worried about where you'd gone, and went looking for you, and then heard the yells." She turned and lifted her evening gown to step up the stairs with infinite grace. Before she reentered the bar, she turned to him and said with great pain in her voice, "And if you don't like what happens when I discover your dirty little secrets, maybe you shouldn't keep them."

She turned back around and exited the basement.

Eric turned back to Compton feeling completely empty and was driven mad with rage at the sight of the smug little smile portrayed on the other man's face. He resisted the urge to punch the little shit and instead said, "I think we'll just leave you down here for the time being, as a trial run, who knows, maybe you'll like it here so much that you'll decide to make this your permanent residence." He watched the smile run away from Bill's face with satisfaction. He then peeled off his gloves, turned on his heel and left the basement.

The moment he reentered his bar, his child was in front of him on her knees with her neck bared for his fangs. "Master, I beg you to forgive me for my transgression, and beg you to punish me however you see fit."

He let his fangs drop down, and was about to attack when he happened to look up and catch Sookie's eye over his child's fair head. She was looking at him with pain and disappointment, the two looks he swore would never haunt her gaze again, and it terrified him. With great difficulty he retracted his fangs. "See that it does not happen again." He managed to get out roughly and walked around Pam, ignoring the rush of surprise that flooded their Child/Maker bond.

He approached Sookie slowly, as if he were afraid to scare her off. "My älskare, I think you and I have had enough excitement for one night. Shall you and I head home?"

He offered her his hand and prayed like hell to every god he knew, which was many, that she would accept it. He found utter relief flooding him as she gazed at him for dreadful long seconds before placing her soft hand in his hard and battle worn palm, letting it gently be engulfed in his grip as he led her out to his car.

(Line Break Here)

Later that night, shortly before dawn approached, Eric found himself propped up on his elbow as he watched Sookie sleep peacefully.

He found himself mulling over the evening, but more importantly Compton's words. The young, foolish vampire was mistaken in his belief that Eric was gaining sustenance elsewhere from his darling Sookie. He actually snorted at that. Yes, it was difficult; however a vampire of his age truly did not need to drink but a couple of times a week, and TruBlood, as unpleasant as it tasted, took the edge off of his hunger. Taking a few sips from his beautiful Bonded every so often a week satisfied his hunger from a pleasure standpoint, and it was in this manner that he was getting by.

However, he could not help but wonder if Compton was correct in wondering if he wanted Sookie to regain her memories or not. He dropped his head down to her hair and inhaled the luscious scent deeply.

He knew without a doubt that he wanted Sookie to regain her fire, her stubbornness, her acceptance of everyone unconditionally; everything that made her _Sookie_, he wanted back with a desperation that startled him at times.

But if he was honest with himself, he knew that the idea of her regaining her _memories_, or more specifically, of her memories of his devastating betrayal of her trust, was absolutely repugnant to him.

He shivered, an unnatural reaction for a vampire, and then slowly rolled over onto his back as dawn came, and he called Death to him.

He would wait until later to dissect these thoughts.

(Line Break Here)

**A/N: So, I updated, yay! I know it's kind of short, but a lot happens, and I hope this clears up some questions for you guys. Thanks so much for your welcome back messages! Next up will be the Epilogue of Heist. Thanks for reading!**

**Now for a very important announcement: ARedheadThing and I are hosting a contest, called The Kiss a Cook Contest. For all the delicious details, you can go to my profile for the link, or just search on this site under authors for KissACookContest. **


	8. Karamel Sutra

**Shattered Chapter Seven**

She took his hand. After everything she had just seen, she took his hand and let him escort her out to his car, without saying even a word to him.

She was disgusted with herself, but there was nothing she _could _say, nothing she could do. Eric was all she knew in the world. Since the day she had awakened, he was her whole world. It wasn't as if she could walk away.

But, she wanted to! She wanted to not just walk away, but run, run far away like her gut was screaming at her to do. To run away from this man, from this world, or she would get _hurt_. And bizarrely enough, she knew this wasn't instinct telling her to do this; this was from _experience._

She had been hurt before. Whether it was by Eric or his world, she had no way of knowing, but it didn't lessen the danger any.

But she was still doubtful that this beautiful Adonis of a man who treated her with such reverence could possibly hurt her. But then she simply looked back in her memory and recalled him standing over the dark haired vampire with that whip, and she recoiled.

This was a man capable of anything.

So she took his hand, allowed him to escort her to his car, back to his mansion, in the dress he bought her, and adorned with the jewelry he gifted her.

And then it came on the ride back to his mansion. She didn't really know this man at all. All she knew was what he told her, whispers of pretty words, and promises, and secrets that for all she knew could be lies. She knew he liked to dress her up in pretty dresses and give her priceless gifts, but was she anything more than a doll to him?

She had no memories of her past, nothing, for all she knew, he could have beat her, or raped her, or any number of horrible things. She had scars on her body that made him flinch, was he an abuser? Did he hurt her?

As she had seen earlier that evening, he was quite capable of harming others with no guilt or hesitation.

And he was a _vampire_, by his very nature he drank blood, oh Lord what had she been thinking, staying with this man, this stranger?

Unbidden, the dark haired vampire's words rose in her head. '_Are you afraid she'll leave you when she discovers the truth?'_ The truth about what?

They pulled up to his house, and she allowed him to carry her inside, cradling her gently to his chest, and once again she couldn't ever imagine him harming her, but she was thrown back to the scene in the basement once again.

She let him gently place her down in their room, let him carefully peel back her gown, and slip a nightgown over her head, all the while with a reverent look upon his face, as if he was lucky to be looking at her. She nearly blushed under his intense gaze.

Silently they slipped under the covers, and she immediately pretended to go to sleep, making her breaths deep and even to add to the illusion. He seemed to believe it, as he left to go do some business.

The minute he left the room, she flopped onto her back and stared at the ceiling, silently freaking out, hands fisting in the sheets, trying not to scream. She remembered Eric calling her Bonded, saying they were married. She didn't know what that entailed, but figured it probably wasn't a normal marriage, so she tried to calm down and think things rationally, though she was finding it difficult.

Everything was all jumbled up in her head, things so confusing, until she didn't know where to turn, or who to trust. Eric said he loved her, and she wanted to believe him, she did, but then the dark haired vampire said not to trust him, and she was so mixed up!

She heard Eric's footsteps down the hall, and she immediately rolled back over and pretended to be asleep again. She figured it had to be close to sun rise, as that was when he always joined her in bed, when he was done with his work.

She heard him drop his clothes, and the rustling as he pulled new ones on, and fought the extreme urge to turn over and watch his naked body. The next moment, she felt the bed dip down under his weight as he climbed into the bed with her. She expected him to curl his body around her as he usually did, but was disappointed in that regard.

She felt him scoot his body closer to hers, but instead of wrapping himself around her, she felt a slight movement, more rustling, and then the gentlest of touches to her hair as he played with it softly. She fought the tears that were rushing to her eyes, she was determined for him not to smell even a whiff of salt to give away her ruse. But she was finding it difficult, as she lay there comparing the monster who beat and tortured another man – vampire, to the angel who lay next to her, watching her and playing so gently with her hair.

She supposed that she must have drifted off into real sleep at some point, as she woke up the next day in surprise, having not realized the actual moment of drifting into sleep. She extricated herself from Eric's arms and rolled over and saw with some surprise that it was three in the afternoon.

It wasn't really all that big of a shock however, because Eric had been pushing for her to sleep later in the day as he kept her up later at night, and then for the first time, she realized in horror, that he was slowly conditioning her into keeping nocturnal owls.

She flopped back onto the bed and stared down at his angelic face, and for the first time, felt the tiniest bit sick at the sight. She shook her head sharply to focus her thoughts, and then decided she was tired of just laying around. For the very first time since he had laid down the rule, she got out of bed before Eric had risen.

It was odd, she thought as she walked to the kitchen, but she actually felt a bit empowered, and emboldened at disobeying such a powerful creature, and knowing he would never hurt her. It gave her the tiniest bit of a thrill racing up her spine, and she realized in shock, that the sensation was not unfamiliar to her.

She made a beeline for the freezer, and more specifically for her brand new carton of Karamel Sutra. Eric told her it was her favorite flavor from a brand called Ben and Jerry's. Idly, she wondered as she opened the carton and dug in, forsaking the bowl, if that too was a lie.

She didn't know how long she sat there at the counter, methodically scooping, and eating, scooping, and eating, but she was startled when Eric flew out of their room at vampire speed, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of her calmly eating ice cream.

"Sookie, lover, I thought we agreed that you would stay in bed until I rose for the evening," He started out, slowly approaching her.

"I know, I just needed time to think." She replied, licking a stray bit of ice cream off the spoon, watching in fascination as his eyes darkened and followed the movement of her tongue.

"About what, if you don't mind me asking."

She scooped a heap of ice cream from the carton, and absent mindedly licked it off, once again enjoying the reaction she got from the normally stoic vampire. "Oh, just this and that," She replied, and gave the spoon another healthy lick.

He closed his eyes, and she thought he was trying to get his emotions under control, which delighted her, but his eyes shot open once more, and narrowed in on her, as if trying to analyze her under a microscope. "Something is wrong. You feel…." He trailed off, as if realizing what he was saying.

She narrowed her eyes back at him, and dropped the spoon into the nearly empty carton with a thud. "How did you know something was wrong? And what do you mean 'I feel'? What does that mean?" When he didn't reply, her voice became sharper, causing him to stiffen up. "Eric, I asked you some _questions._"

**A/N: Well there you have it! Sorry it's so short, but there's going to be a bit more talking, and a bit more action in the next chapter from Eric's point of view. Now, that being said, I would like to convey how very sorry I am it took so long to update. I have a lot on my plate and school, hosting a contest, and work is all biting me in the ass. However, I have not been slacking (much) through this short little break of mine. I have been working on some one shots, some contest entries, a new AU vamp dark story, and three new AH stories, one of which will most likely be a continuation of The Love Hotel. Please see the poll on my profile on that front.**

**Now, all of the stories except for the one shots and the contest entries, will not be posted until I have completely finished them. At least that's the plan. On some of the longer ones, it may be that I start posting when I feel I'm half way through. I'm playing it by ear. This does mean however, that when I finish this story, and Nothing Personal, I will be taking a break from posting for a little bit. Not from writing, but just from posting, until I have at least one story done. That way I can actually give you, my dear readers, weekly updates. Gasp! Thanks for your patience, I love you all. Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it!**


	9. Truth and Consequences

**Shattered Chapter Eight**

It wasn't often that he found himself scrambling for words, but there was something about this mere human girl that got to him. In his over a millennium of walking the planet, he had never been without a plan, without something to say to cover his ass, but as always, Sookie Stackhouse had thrown him off his game.

It shouldn't really surprise him; she had been doing so since they had met. Even Sookie without her memory was innately Sookie. The thought pleased him to no end.

He tried to pull her off the stool and wrap her into his arms, but she resisted and pushed back against him. He could have easily held her to him, of course, but he never wanted to force her into anything. Never again.

"Well, are you going to answer me or not?" She demanded, waving her ice cream spoon at him, a sight he might have found comical in any other situation.

"I am debating how best to answer you." It was true; he could not be too hasty in his answer, lest he offend her even more. His decisions were laid out in front of him in his mind's eye, like a chess board. He had played through the opening gambit, and was now at the beginning of the middle game. "We have exchanged blood three times. You and I are now permanently bound together… the Vampire version of marriage." He decided the aggressive attack was the best, just get it over with.

He saw it coming, but did nothing to stop it. Her open palm slammed against his cheek. He relished in the brief, stinging pain, and reveled in the anger flowing across the bond. But abruptly, the anger turning into depressing sadness that rolled in waves off of her. He didn't need the bond to know that she was distressed.

"Did I know about this before… whatever happened to me… happened?" She asked, her voice breaking on the last word.

"You did," he replied, hoping she wouldn't pick up on the hesitation in his voice as he answered her, but of course, she did.

She narrowed her eyes, and in that moment, she was a predator hunting down weakened prey. There was blood in the air. "Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me something?" She asked, crossing her arms over chest stubbornly.

"Because I'm not," he replied, and as she opened her mouth indignantly, he cut her off with, "Sookie, I may not tell you everything, but what I do tell you is the truth."

She flinched at his words, and she raised her hand to her head, stepping back weakly. "Sookie?" Eric asked with concern, following after her, but she resisted his embrace.

"I'm fine. I'm just… I feel like I've heard those words before. It's like déjà vu… but… more." She was still rubbing at her head, looking pale and peaked.

"Sit down," he ordered, taking her elbow and gently guiding her to the couch. "Can I get you anything, water?" She was extraordinarily pale, a fact that concerned him, being that she was so tan.

"I don't want _water_," she spat out scathingly. "I want my memories back!"

He sat down heavily besides her, his head bowed down. "It's the one thing I cannot give you," he said mournfully, wishing he had more answers for her, hating that he could only cause her more confusion. But he couldn't let her go. He was selfish, he knew, but he just couldn't.

She jumped up from the couch at his words, her fists clench and her eyes blazing. "Why not? Why can't you help me?" She had been pacing with her words, but suddenly stopped and whirled around to point an accusing finger at him. "Do you even _want _to help me? I heard what that Bill person said, and I see the way you look at me! Do you even _want _me to remember my past?"

She finished her rant, her body heaving and shaking with rage, and the silence stretched out between the two of them, making her even angrier. "ANSWER ME!" She shrieked.

Eric lifted his bowed head, and she gasped to see the little rivers his red tears made down his porcelain face. It was his turn for his voice to break. "I don't know," he admitted honestly. "I don't know if I want you to remember… and it's absurd, because I've done truly awful things, yet wanting to keep you in the dark makes me truly feel like a monster."

She sat down in the chair across from him, torn in indecision. Between wanting to hold onto her anger and get answers and comforting him in his agony.

"Eric, I know you can't give me my memories back," she said softly, and she saw his lips tighten as if he knew there was more to what she was going to say.

"Then what do you want?" He asked, just as softly.

"I want the truth. From your side of the story. Everything. Not just bits and pieces about my life. Not inane little comments about how much I love pecan pie. You may not be able to give me my memories back, but you can sure as hell tell me why they're gone."

"Sookie, ask me anything else but that, please," his voice was a harsh cadence, a damned man begging for mercy.

But she had none for him. "Why not?" She hissed, her face twisted in a mask of rage and hopelessness.

"BECAUSE YOU'LL HATE ME!" He roared out, tearing and clutching at his hair.

She didn't yell back, just narrowed her eyes. "If you would rather me go on living without my memories, just so you can avoid me hating you… then Eric, you really are the monster you believe yourself to be."

He gasped then, a broken sound, the only sound that filled the dark room, until, "What the hell is going on here?"

**A/N: Hello again, I know it's been a while, but I'm back now! If you want an update on where I've been, and what my plans/projects are, please visit my profile. **

**Short? Yes, but then again, most of the chapters have been short, and this one was pretty emotional. It was also a bear for me to get out. I wrote the first three paragraphs and then stared at them for the next two days. Anyways, let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!**


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